Save My Heart For You
by OctoberSkies21
Summary: The hardest part about Isabelle French's day is not working two jobs, always having to help her father, or fending for herself. It's seeing her true love, and not being able to love him. Will Belle, with a fresh realization of all of her memories, be able to make Rumpelstiltskin remember? Or will they forever be plagued by unhappiness and a life with no happy endings?
1. Chapter 1

It was just another normal day in Storybrooke. But really, every day is anything but normal. Isabelle French-that's what they call her here-is sitting at her usual spot in Granny's when Snow-Mary Margaret-walks in. It's somewhat difficult for Belle to try to separate these two memories in her head. She remembers when she almost called Mary Margaret Snow White. After that followed one of the most awkward silences in Belle's two lives. Strangely, she and Mary Margaret became great friends, maybe even best friends after that. Surprisingly she's also very good friends with Ruby-who, in this world, is as just as much of a wolf as she was in their world. She waves to Mary Margaret who comes and sits across from her. Belle can read her expression like a book-she's having trouble with David. Again. "What's wrong, Mary Margaret?" she says with a concerned tone. "Isabelle, sometimes you read people better than you read books!" Annoyed, Belle retorts "Don't change the subject. What's going on with David?" She whispers the last sentence, even though she knows she doesn't have to. The whole town knows about her affair with the married David Nolan. Back in her old, _real_ life such an affair would have been inacceptable. But in this world, it seems more...acceptable.

Mary Margaret begins talking, pouring her heart out to Belle-Isabelle-but Belle isn't listening. She becomes absorbed in her own thoughts about true love. She wants to help Mary Margaret, she really does, but she can't help in thinking how unfair it is. She can't help it when she feels anger swelling up inside of her. Practically everyone here knows their true love-has spoken to them, is friends with them or, in Mary Margaret's case, is dating them. Mary Margaret doesn't know how lucky she is. Belle hasn't even spoken _one _word to her true love, her Rumpelstiltskin, if he was even hers to begin with...

Getting herself out of her trance, she remembers to nod every now and then to make it seem like she's listening. After deciding that she can't pretend like she's listening any longer, she collects her jacket, pays the bill, and stands up. "Mary Margaret, I'm sorry but I just remembered that I have to help my father at the shop." She hesitates, and then says in a hushed voice, "If love was intended to be easy, then we'd have all found our true loves' by now, trust me." As she finally manages to pull her jacket on-it was unusually cold for the first week of October-she finally realizes how oddly silent it was in the diner. She looks down to see a grave expression on Mary Margaret's white-as-snow face. She looks at the calendar and realizes it's the first Monday of the month-_rent day._

"Shit..." she mumbles under her breath. She inwardly curses herself for being so oblivious. She knows what today is, everyone knows, and she should have immediately known why most of the people in the diner suddenly blanched and went stiff. Why is it that she's always making a fool of herself when he's around? Now everyone's eyes are darting back and forth between her and Mr. Gold, showing their thoughts of how crazy she must be. It was a sort of unspoken rule to just shut up and look anywhere but at Mr. Gold whenever he was around. A few seconds pass before Mr. Gold says, with every bit of malice in his voice, "Tell me, Miss French, what book are you reading now that has influenced you to speak such..._colorful _language?" Belle turns around and tries her best to keep a blank face. No matter how much she loves him, he still aggravates her with his smug expressions and poisonous words. She ignores his words and replies, "Excuse me, _sir_, but it seems that you have the advantage in this conversation. You know who I am, but I do not know who you are." The look he gave her only infuriates her more. It was the look he-Rumpelstiltskin-gave her whenever she'd start talking about a new book she'd found in the Dark Castle. A look of astonishment and utter amusement. She felt her cheeks burn and go red at the thought of her, _their,_ former life. "What?" she snapped, not able to stop herself. Some of the costumers, feeling this conversation was about to go downhill very fast, left as soon and as subtly as they could. And all he did was laugh. Not his high-pitched giggle that he used to do, but a deep, hearty, almost human laugh. _Almost_. It still sent shivers down her spine. It seems that some things never change.

"It would be in your best interest to simmer down; you're scaring away all the customers, dearie." Finally realizing that she would not move, he turned back to the counter to collect the large wad of money, and noticed Miss French's form come towards him. No one ever walked towards him unless it was to make a deal with him or threaten him. He admired her bravery, but he couldn't have anybody talking to him like that. Oh no, he'd have to fix this problem child. As he turned around to finish her off, his brown-gold eyes met deep blue ones that were only two feet away.

"You never answered my question, sir." She did not speak with anger or false bravery, but instead in almost a whisper. She hated herself for having to pretend to not know who he is-she, who knows him better than any person or magical being in either world. But she needs to hear him say it. She's listening for a hesitation, for anything that might hint to her that he's lying. He's not.

Without hesitation, he says in a very self-righteous voice, "My name, dearie, is Mr. Gold."

She decided it would be best for her to leave before her knees gave out, so she headed for the door. She only stopped when the unusually deep voice of Rumpelst- Mr. Gold- stopped her. As if being near to him didn't hurt her enough, he added, "Oh, dearie, as you well know it's rent day, and I'm just assuming when I say you're Moe French's daughter, make sure to tell him to have the money today, and for _both_ months."

This confused her. She helped her father with everything that had to do with financial business. If her father hadn't paid last month then she would have known.

"_Both_ months?" she asked without thinking. This caused him to roll his eyes.

"_Yes_, Miss French. We had a deal. And when someone breaks a deal with me, bad things tend to happen," he said, every word dripping with poison. He left the diner before she could give a response. As much as Belle wanted to go to the nearest park to mull over what had just happened, she knew that she had to go tell her father. If her father was a poor ruler in Fairy Tale Land, then he was an even worse one here, even if he was only "ruling" over a flower shop. She was half way to the shop when she realized that she had left her book that she had brought with on her seat at the diner. As she did something between a jog and a run, she made it back before anyone had taken it. As she walked back to the shop, reading the book and trying to dodge people at the same time, the brown-gold eyes staring at her from far away went unnoticed.


	2. Chapter 2

For the first time in years, Mr. Gold surprised himself. How could he not know who this girl was? He knew everyone in this town and everything about them. Of course he knew that Moe French had a daughter, but this _woman _was most certainly _not_ his daughter. Moe French was a stuttering idiot, who couldn't even sell flowers. Never had he even shown anything that resembled courage or bravery to Gold. No, this woman could definitely not be his daughter. She was brave, and at least she tried to hide her fear. Plus she was reading a book. He didn't even know if Moe French knew how to read. The only clue she gave away of him being her father was when she said she had to help her father at the shop. He'll just have to check, just to be sure. But oh yes, he could have some fun with this girl. This girl was obviously thinks she has no reason to fear him. This girl who thinks she's so courageous in saving her father's worthless flower shop. But she should fear him. He is, after all, just a monster.

* * *

By the time Belle entered the shop, her father was running around trying to find any money he had. He had forbidden her from giving him any of her own money, but she still managed to slip him some money every month.

"Isabelle! W-what are you doing back so early? I thought you were going to stay at the diner and chat with Ruby!" Her father seemed nervous, a little too nervous.

But she was at a loss for words. How could she explain what happened at the diner when she didn't even know what happened? While putting on her uniform in the back of the shop, she explained that she had met Mr. Gold. She went around to the front and started counting money in the cash register.

Slowly, she said, "Papa, why didn't you tell me that you didn't pay last month's rent? Or more importantly, how and why did you hide it from me?"

Moe put down the flower arrangement he was holding and gave her a surprised look. He opened his mouth to speak, but then the door opened to reveal Mr. Gold himself. With a very smug expression he said, "I believe I know the answer to that."

Was he eavesdropping? He couldn't have been. He would've had to have been close to do that, which he was not. Could he read lips? She hoped that he couldn't, because sometimes she thought out loud…She was pulled back to reality when her father said, "Gold, what are you doing here? It's only nine o' clock!"

"What can I say; I like to…change thing up. Occasionally," he spoke with a mischievous smile.

Belle couldn't help but scoff. In their last life he was Mr. Spontaneous, but in this one, everything he does has order. He snapped his head in her direction. "Did I say something amusing, dearie?" Who was she to laugh at _him?_

She has to speak. She has to stop admiring him from a distance. If she's ever going to endeavor to make him have feelings for her again, then she has to show that he's not afraid of him. So she chooses bravery, like she did last time.

"Since when do you ever 'change things up'? Everything you do is done on a tight schedule. Obviously something made you come here earlier than usual. Or some_one_." She couldn't help the small smile that was growing on her lips when she said the latter sentence. She's always surprising herself when it comes to Rumpelstiltskin.

Moe thought it wise to intervene right then and there by saying, "Isabelle, maybe you should go upstairs-"

But she didn't let him finish. She has to show _Mr. Gold_ her bravery as she once did many years ago. "No. I am not leaving until one of you explains to me what's going on." Moe just looks back and forth between her and Gold.

"I believe I can help you with that." _Now _Belle was angry. She turned her head in his direction and tried so hard to speak in a cool voice. "Since when do you want to help anyone? All you ever do is make deals that only benefit yourself. You never change, Rump-" she stopped herself before she went on. Why was she yelling at him? She knew was getting angrier every day, and she knew the reason why, too.

He didn't even notice that she stopped herself mid-sentence. He was staring at her meticulously. Then he said, "If you would be so kind to let me finish my sentence, dearie. I was going to explain the deal I made with your father. If he couldn't gather up enough money, then he'd have to spend extra time working off his debt. And as I have been particularly busy lately, I haven't been at my shop as often. The best way to put an end to both of our problems would be to work off the debt at my shop. But, being the owner of this flower shop, your father wouldn't be able to make time to work at my shop to pay off the debt. So a compromise was made that one of his employees would work for me. And with you being the only employee here, well I think you can connect the dots."

She couldn't believe this. Her father had made another deal with him, this time_ knowing_ she was the price. As much as she wants to go with him, she knows she can't. Here everyone gives into his deals. She has to be different. She has to stand out. So, once again, she does the brave thing, even when her heart screams out in detest.

"No, I won't. Papa, I quit." They both give her bewildered expressions, though Mr. Gold does a better job at hiding it. She walks up to Mr. Gold and says, "Everyone in this town makes deals with you. I refuse to be cheated by you."

_Stupid girl_, he thinks. "You do know that by refusing you are pushing your father further into debt?"

She rolls her eyes at him. "No, I simply refused to make a deal with you. That doesn't mean I am refusing to pay the debt." The corners of his lips turn upwards into a small smile, it almost seems…proud. She finishes with, "It's Monday. Give me until Friday and I _will_ have all your blasted money." And she leaves them with that. Seconds later she hears the thump of a cane and knows he's walking out after her, probably content with what just happened. She grabs her bike from the back and rides away, feeling too many emotions. One is heartache, and the other is embarrassment that she's twenty-five years old and still rides a bike for transportation.

* * *

She needs to clear her head. So naturally she rides to the park. She goes up to a willow tree that her fake memories tell her is her favorite, but she's too caught up in her thoughts to care. She puts her bike up against the trunk and sits on the other side. She's glad that she chose this tree. The sad looking branches offer her enough protection and shield her enough that people won't come talk to her. She stares up at the branches for about five minutes before realizing something: she'll have to get another job. She's currently the librarian, and she does occasionally babysit for Ashley-Cinderella- and walks dogs, but she will definitely need more money if she wants to pay Mr. Gold _and_ eat. Wait, she remembers that there's an opening at Granny's that Ruby was talking about! Without a moment's hesitation she grabs her sky-blue bike and rides as fast as she can to the diner. She finds Ruby in the back and tells her she needs the job. Granny gives it to her without hesitation. But Belle doesn't know how to ask the next part. She was never good at asking people for favors or things.

So, shyly, she asks, "Granny, do you think I can start today? I can follow Ruby around to get the hang of things, and I'm a fast learner."

Granny eyes her a bit before saying, "There should be an extra uniform in the back. Go try it on."

Belle, who was always a hugger, pulls Granny into a big hug and runs into the back to find the uniform. Really it's just an apron with the diner's logo on it. She pulls it over her periwinkle sundress and gets to work. Between taking orders, Ruby explains how everything works. By now it's 1 o' clock, and after a few hours of being bus girl she asks if she can be a waitress. Ruby comes with her to the first few tables. She introduces herself as Isabelle and takes their orders. After an hour it's second nature to her. She works as late as she can.

By ten o' clock she's helping close down the diner. When it's just the three of them left, Belle breaks the silence.

"Granny, Ruby, I need to ask for a big favor. I… need my paycheck for the next two weeks by Thursday."

Granny put down the money she was counting and looked up. "You need _what_?"

Belle started to panic. What if she said no? What if she couldn't pay Mr. Gold on time?

"Please," Belle said like a child, "I really need the money. My father is in debt with Mr. Gold, and if I can't make enough money, then who knows what could happen to my father!"

Granny just stared at her as if trying to see whether she was lying or not. After what seemed like minutes of silence, she said, "Ruby, what do you think? As you are going to take over this diner when I die, you need practice making important decisions."

Before Ruby could say anything, Belle said, "I'll work hard and I'll work overtime."

Ruby didn't hesitate when she said, "I know Isabelle will work hard. I trust her and know she'll keep her word. Plus, we can't have Mr. Gold win, can we?" After that, Belle and Granny made a schedule that would coincide with Belle's other job. At 10:30 Belle left. As Belle was halfway to her apartment, thinking she'd better get a car, Ruby pulled up beside her on the road.

She rolled down the passenger window and yelled, "Izzy, hop in! Put your bike in the trunk, I'll drive you home." After Belle put her bike in the trunk and had her seat belt on, she started talking to Ruby. She really liked her, and wished she could have known her in their past lives. As Belle had predicted, the conversation turned towards the topic of men.

With a wolfish grin on her face Ruby asked, "So, have any men caught your eye recently?" Belle couldn't stop herself from answering. She needs to tell someone, needs to confide in someone, anyone.

Hesitantly, Belle says, " Well, there is one man, but I don't know how to talk to him. We only met today…"

Ruby couldn't help the gleeful giggle that came from her mouth. "Who is he? When did you realize you were into him?"

"I'm not comfortable with revealing who he is, sorry Ruby…But do you think you could help me? I mean, help me get his attention at least."

By now they had reached Belle's apartment. Ruby parked her car and came into the apartment with Belle. For an hour Ruby taught Belle what to say and what not to say, and picked out clothes that would look good on Belle. Now they were sitting on a couch drinking hot chocolate. Belle had wanted to ask one question, but couldn't without giving away who her "crush" was, as they call it here. So instead she chose a different approach.

"So it got pretty scary in the diner when Mr. Gold walked in. Is he always like that?" She wished Ruby couldn't hear the eagerness in her voice.

"Yes! He thinks he's so tough when all he does is bully everyone is this town. He's just a big headed _ass_."

Ignoring her last comment, Belle said, "Does he always come there to eat in the morning?" She hoped she wasn't being too obvious.

"No, but I have a feeling he will be. See, we barely made rent this month. And I have a feeling the old bastard will be coming more often to…check up on us."

Belle's heart started beating faster. This could mean that she might be able to see him every day without needing a reason. She, being waitress, could talk to him without getting strange looks from people. Having heard everything she wanted to know, she faked a yawn and Ruby said goodnight. Before Ruby left Belle gave her a hug, glad that she had another great friend in this cursed land.

* * *

Tuesday passed like every other hectic day. During her lunch break she met with Regina to discuss about finding another librarian while Belle's working at the diner. Of course Regina had to be nosy and ask why Belle had taken up a second job. When Belle replied that she was trying to pay off her father's debt to Mr. Gold, something flashed in Regina's eyes. _Could it be anger?_ Belle inwardly laughed at Regina, thinking that something eventually would have made Belle and Mr. Gold cross paths.

"Well, Miss French-Isabelle-I'd be happy to get another librarian. After all, we wouldn't want you to make a deal with Mr. Gold, now would we?" she said with a dangerously fake smile.

"Of course not. And please, call me Belle," she said with one of her own equally dangerous and mischievous smiles. That same anger flashed in Regina's eyes. Belle loved mocking Regina, even if she was only doing it by asking to be called by her _real_ name. After what Regina did to her, Rumpelstiltskin, and _everyone_ in this town, she deserved to be locked up. Or beaten. Maybe she'll have to go to Mr. Gold's pawnshop and see if he has any spare canes lying around…


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! I thought that I should mention that my laptop crashed, so I have to use my sister's instead. Also, I had to completely re-write this chapter because my laptop is being a bully and won't work for me. I've had to type and re-type this multiple times, with my sister's help, of course. Also, I don't own characters from Once Upon a Time or the song I'm using for this chapter. P. S. The song is called Save My Heart by Jason Reeves. Seriously, look it up. It's a great song, and I think it portrays Rumbelle very well. Enjoy!**

The week passed fairly quickly. Before she knew it, it was Friday. She barely ate anything that week, hoping to save more money. After counting all the money she had, Belle put it in an envelope and wrote _French Rent Money_ on it in her elegant cursive. She decided to walk to his shop; her bike would be too obvious if she parked it outside his shop.

She honestly doesn't know she's afraid. Maybe because it's 9 o'clock at night and she's stealthily walking up to the Pawn Shop door and slipping the envelope under it. Or maybe it's because she doesn't want to be seen by Mr. Gold. Either way, she trips over a rock on the sidewalk and crashes into Mr. Gold's door.

Sitting on the ground in front of the pawn shop rubbing her head, it seems her plan of being discreet has failed. As she's trying to stand up so she can leave quickly, Mr. Gold opens the door.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Gold says.

Still sitting on the ground she says, "Just giving you the rent money, obviously." Realizing that he's not about to speak anytime soon, she says, "Are you going to help me up?"

"You have two legs of your own, dearie, you are perfectly capable of standing up," Gold says. She stands up shakily and brushes past him to walk into his shop. She leans up against the glass counter to keep her balance.

"I don't remember inviting you into my shop, dearie."

"Last time I checked, Mr. Gold, I don't need an invitation to walk into a store."

He walks past her and goes around the counter to most likely continue whatever he was working on before she ran into his door. She puts the envelope right in front of him and takes a step back to look at her surroundings. She had never been in the infamous pawnshop; her alter-ego never had a reason to be there, thank God.

Gold grabbed the envelope and stared at her with icy eyes.

"Mr. Gold, you can trust me when I say that all the money is there." He takes the money out and counts it slowly, as if mocking her.

"It appears that it _is_ all there. And don't get your hopes up dearie, I don't trust anyone."

"You couldn't even try?" She asked almost timidly.

He openly laughed at her question. "What, are you implying that I should trust you? The only people I trust are those who are willing to be my allies. And seeing that you have nothing to offer me, I see no reason to trust you."

That hurt, that hurt _a lot. _Really, why is he such an ass sometimes?

"It seems that we are done here. If you could be so kind as to _leave,_" he said while gesturing to the door, not bothering to look up as he resumed whatever paperwork he had previously been working on.

But Belle didn't want to leave, not yet. She grabbed an ancient looking stool and pulled it over to the counter. She sat down and began looking at the small oddities sitting on the counter. Mr. Gold gave a much too loud sigh and looked up from his papers.

Sarcastically he said, "Anything I can help you with, Miss French?" She lifted her head from her hands and stared at him. Actually, yes. He could help her with something.

"How convenient of you to ask, Mr. Gold. As it happens I do have a question for you…what's the Halloween Ball like?" As if laughing at her once wasn't bad enough, he just had to do it again.

But…why would she ask _him _about a dance? Why would a seemingly young and innocent girl be asking the most feared man in town what a dance, of all things, what like? This girl was really something else.

"Just because I attend these events doesn't mean that I actually pay attention to what happens during them. Anyways, you're what, nineteen? Don't girls your age waste the time of day away talking about these sort of things?"

Wow, just…wow. Belle was taken aback by his words. Did he really think she was _nineteen_?

"You've never been more wrong, Mr. Gold. First, I am twenty-five, and second, I do _not _think about such frivolous things as dances because I am far too busy right now."

Wearing a smug smile on his face he says, "Oh, dearie, you don't have to lie to impress me. Let me guess…you never had a date to said frivolous activities?" He could tell he was pushing her limit by the fire in her blue eyes. Yes, it was harsh even for him, but if it was the only way to break the girl, then it must be done.

"_Mr. Gold._ If you could take a moment to actually _think about what you're saying, _you could come to a few conclusions. Maybe I didn't want to go with the guys who asked me, or perhaps I would rather spend my nights with solitude and a book." Honestly, before she remembered everything, her alter-ego had never gone to a school dance. It wasn't because she wasn't pretty enough, just because she'd rather no go at all than go with the guys who asked her. She remembered Gavin-Gaston-asking her to the ball, or what they call Homecoming here. Instead of being obsessed with weapons and war, he was obsessed with football-a different kind of war. She was pulled back to the present when Mr. Gold spoke again.

Quietly, almost to himself he said, "Well, if it is so, then you really are different from all the other girls…"

"Isn't it good, though, being different? You're just as different as I am, and there's nothing wrong with you."

He stares at her for what seems like minutes before she says, "I meant it as a compliment, Mr. Gold. Who wants to be just like everyone else? Where's the fun in that?"

He stares at her for a little more before walking silently back to his spot behind the counter to begin putting away his paperwork.

"Well, I guess I'll just go now…Goodnight, Mr. Gold." After she walks out the door, he can see her grab her bike from its hiding place and ride slowly away.

Quietly he says, "Yes, you are completely right; there is nothing wrong in being different." Then he adds, even though she's far away and can't hear him, "Goodnight, Miss French."

* * *

Beep! Beep! Beep! Belle wakes up in a sweat, her heart beating fast because of her loud alarm clock. She shuts it off and looks at the time. Crap, it's nearly eight-thirty! She's going to be late for work; today she's working at the library. She stumbles out of bed and pulls on whatever clothes she sees first, then eats a fast breakfast. She's almost out the door when she remembers that today is Friday, October 26th, she doesn't work today. Ever since volunteering to help out with decorating the high school gym for the ball, she's been busy every weekend. Today she was given the day off by both employers so she could get everything set up and make sure everything's just right. She sits back down at her small table and eats something more substantial before walking to the gym.

She asked Mary Margaret what the previous themes were; one time it was all orange and pumpkins, another time it was zombie themed, and last years' theme was, ironically, the Enchanted Forest. Belle couldn't help but laugh when her friend told her that.

But this year would have to be different. Belle decided no themes; people could dress up as whatever they wanted to be. She decided that the gym would be dark except for the multiple rows of twinkling lights hung from the ceiling to feign an appearance of the night sky. There would be jack o' lanterns, yes, but not as many as previous years and more spread out. The food would be inside as well as the dancing floor. She also decided that there should be tents outside for the kids, with games and a separate dancing floor. Mary Margaret had laughed at her idea of separating the children from the adults. Lastly, to tie it all together, she had asked the art class from the high school to make paper mache trees that would be against the walls to create the atmosphere of a forest, without it being the Enchanted Forest. For good measure she asked if a few bats and owls could be made to go in them. Now all Belle had to do was go to the gym and start setting everything up.

She walked to the gym, reaching it at about nine o' clock. Mary Margaret was there, with about a dozen other people and Emma, too. How she convinced Emma to help out, Belle will never know. By ten-thirty Leroy had finished putting up the lights and Belle was helping Mary Margaret set up the food tables. Everyone left at noon to eat lunch, but Belle stayed. She ate her lunch while trying to put up the paper trees. They were very big, about seven feet tall to look like real trees. There was a wooden board nailed onto the back of it so it could stand up straight against the wall. Also underneath the tree was another thicker board with wheels on it so they could be easily transported. But the hard part wasn't moving the twenty fake-trees; it was trying to pick up the fallen tree that was now lying in front of Belle. She had moved the other nineteen trees with no problem, but now it was just her luck that she had to knock over the last one. While struggling to pick up the heavy tree, Emma noticed and helped her stand it up straight.

Belle, still surprised by the help she received, said, "Thanks, Emma! If it weren't for you, I'd probably had spent the whole hour trying to pick this thing up."

"It's nothing. I guess that's why Mary Margaret asked me to help; because of my strength. But anyways, why are you still here? Everyone is at Granny's eating lunch. I only came back because I forgot my cell."

Tentatively Belle said, "Oh, I just really want to finish setting everything up, I really want it to look great."

Emma stared at her with speculative eyes, saying, "You know, I can tell when people lie, it's like a sixth sense. Yes, you want to finish this massive job, but there's something more. You're hiding something."

Dangit. She'd heard of Emma's "super-power" from Henry when he had first come into the library, but now she's starting to think it's real.

"Well, it's just that I guess I really want to…impress someone…" She blushed after she said it. Thankfully no one knew who she was trying to impress. It all started exactly three weeks ago after her visit with Mr. Gold. She had been asking random people around town what they'd like for the Ball this year. She saw Mr. Gold sitting on a bench in the park and decided to sit next to him. She asked him what he thought it should be like. Of course he just laughed at her and said the whole thing was pointless. Rumpelstiltskin had never liked parties either, unless he was the one crashing them. The only thing of meaning that Mr. Gold said was that he'd appreciate it if it wasn't a horrible theme with senseless decorations. So her goal was to make it enjoyable for him.

A smirk started creeping up on Emma's face. "Okay, well I hope your certain someone appreciates all the hard work you're putting into it." She picked up her cell phone and left.

After that awkward meeting, Belle was even more determined to finish the job, and finish it properly. Everyone came back around one, and things went almost smoothly from there. There were some small issues, like what music would be played, or what would happen if someone spiked the punch bowl. These were easy things to clear up, but by the time everything was done, she still had a headache.

* * *

Belle decided that she should arrive early, just to make sure everything was just perfect. So around seven-fifteen she started putting her costume on. Although it wasn't really a costume, at least not to her. It was a ball gown. A real, beautiful, golden ball gown. At first she thought against it, but decided that if it could possibly make Rumpelstiltskin remember, then she'd risk anything to at least try. As she holds the golden silk in her hands, she knows it was the right choice. She tried looking for a gown that was like her old one, the one she wore the first night she was with _him_. The closest thing she came to was a golden ball gown with a one-shoulder strap and white gloves that went up to her elbows. She wasn't going to buy the gloves at first, but when she saw the swirling beaded design made up of different shades of yellow going up the gloves like a vine, she couldn't resist them.

After putting on the dress she curled her hair and pinned the sides back, letting her curls fall down her back. Ruby picked her up at seven-thirty so she wouldn't have to walk to the gym and risk dirtying her dress. By seven-forty five, she had everything in place and was now talking to the DJ. She had made it known that anyone could request a song, within reason of course, but in order for this night to go according to her plans, she needed a certain song to be playing when she made her move.

Okay, it's eight o' five and people are starting to file in. Let's get this thing started, Belle tells herself. She sees Granny start serving people punch, sees Archie in a Captain America costume, and happily giggles to herself when she sees Graham, in a Buzz Lightyear costume, walk in with Emma, wearing the Jessie cowgirl costume from the same movie. Seeing their costumes reminds her that her costume is still incomplete. She reaches into her handbag a pulls out a white mask, with the beading matching her gloves trailing its way up one side of the mask.

By eight-forty five everyone is in the gym, dancing, playing games, and generally having a great time. Everyone, that is, except for one person. Belle should have never let her get her hopes up. Mr. Gold said he attended certain events, but never specifically said he attended the Halloween Ball. But she can't be melancholy, not now. Not when Regina is probably watching her like a hawk. So she decides to make the most of her time. She dances with Ruby to a fast song, then, laughing the whole time, slow dances with Mary Margaret. Archie had asked her to dance right when a very sketchy and inappropriate song began to play. To save themselves of the awkwardness, they walked outside to see how the kids were doing.

Shyly, Archie says, "Well it's a good idea you decided to give the children a separate dance floor."

Belle laughed before saying, "I wanted this year to be different, so I had to change things up a bit."

"I congratulate you. Even Regina seems happy with the changes."

Sarcastically she says, "Maybe I should do this every year then, if it makes Regina even the tiniest bit happier. But thank you, I'm glad everyone is enjoying it."

Archie said something else, but Belle didn't hear it. Her eyes were on the man who seemed to have been conjured up out of thin air.

"Mr. Gold," Archie said, "It's nice to see you here."

Ignoring the man's words, he says to Belle, "Well, Miss Isabelle French, it seems you have outdone yourself tonight." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I just hope you enjoy yourself tonight, Mr. Gold. I've been told that even Regina is having a good time, so there's still hope for you," she says with a genuinely soft smile.

"Yes, well, we shall see." He walked off to the gym doors, disappearing once again into the night, the only evidence of him being there was the sound of his cane.

"I'm sure he'll have a nice time. Who couldn't, after all you've done?"

"Thanks, Archie. We should be getting inside, too. I have to check on the food, and I believe you have Ruby to dance with."

Archie began to blush a soft pink hue. Before he could stammer out a defensive reply, Belle said, "Oh, come one, Archibald Hopper. Just go dance with her, it's that easy. I'll even help you if you want." They both walked back into the gym, away from the loud sound of the kids and towards the loud music from the gym. They walked in side-by-side, and didn't move until Archie spotted Ruby. She was talking to a few guys, but that didn't stop Belle from grabbing Archie's hand and practically pulling him towards Ruby.

"Please, Isabelle, she's already talking to some guys, I shouldn't interrupt her."

Stopping just a few feet away from their intended target she says, "She's always talking to guys. So go do the brave thing and talk to her first. No buts." And with those words of advice she pushed Archie in Ruby's direction and watched as the scene unfolded. He started blushing and Ruby was obviously enjoying talking to him. The other men walked away with their heads held down while Archie took Ruby's hand and led her onto the dance floor. Watching them dance made her remember why she was so eager to dance, too.

So at nine-forty she walked up to Mr. Gold and stood by his side. She couldn't help but notice his costume, or lack thereof. He was wearing his usual black suit, with a black collared shirt and this time, with a light orange tie.

She turned towards him saying, "Mr. Gold, I believe the point of coming to a Halloween ball is to dress up, is it not?"

Without turning to face her, he says, "This is more than what I did for last years'. Oh, I almost forgot; the rest of my _costume._" He reached inside his suit jacket to retrieve a black mask and put it on. "Better?" He said, turning to face her. She smiled as he was caught off-guard. He hadn't looked at her, and didn't realize that she, too, was wearing a mask.

"It would seem that we are matching, Mr. Gold. Whatever are people going to think of us?" Her smile was probably too happy for his liking, but she didn't care.

"Well, then I'll just have to tell people that you broke into my house, saw my mask lying around and decided to find a matching one."

Still smiling she said, "Me? Break into your house? I'm pretty sure that you have a very advanced alarm system, seeing the ever so constant threats that you receive."

He laughed, saying, "How wonderful it is to be me." And she just stared at him, stared at him as though he were the only man in the world. And to her, she was. But he didn't know that. At least not yet.

Noticing the other people staring at them, she excused herself to go check on Mary Margaret. It seemed that Katherine had fallen ill and wasn't here tonight, but David still came. Belle heard him say that he only came because Katherine told him to go and have some fun, but looking at them slow dancing right now, she knew that was obviously not the case. She's so happy and sad for them at the same time. They both know the other loves them, but they can't openly love each other. They know there's something special and different about their love, but if they try to express it someone could get hurt. It reminds her of her own horrible love life. Really, she didn't need to be transported to a whole other world or have him not even know who she is to make her miserable or angry. She was already cursed. Cursed from the moment he first caught her, or when he finally opened up a little and mentioned his son. Because loving someone who you serve was a big enough curse. But loving someone, having them show that they love you back, and then having your heart ripped apart by that same love? That was the real curse. Nothing the queen could ever create would be worse than that. The pain of knowing what might have been…that only made Belle more determined to win back Rumpelstiltskin's love. Everyone deserved love, even him. And even her. Her whole life, both of them, she was told to fight for love. But when she tried to fight for Rumpelstiltskin, she felt like she was being scolded like a little girl.

So, she continues to fight. Fight in the name of love. She chooses her next move on the battlefield slowly. She knows Regina is watching her. She knows that Regina was watching her when Mr. Gold and her were talking and laughing, not even ten minutes previously. Her next move could easily make Regina very angry, but it could also earn Belle a little…meeting with her, too. She doesn't care, though, and marches into the battlefield and right to Mr. Gold.

"Mr. Gold, would you dance with me?" She's standing in front of him, playing with her gloves and fidgeting like an awkward fifteen year old girl waiting to meet her date.

His eyes slowly meet hers, but he masks all emotion so she has no idea what he's thinking.

"Please? I'll even make a deal with you if I have to," she says with a coy smile.

Something flashes across his face, something she can't explain, but he still says yes. He says _yes._ Even though he's only agreed to dance with her, she still feels like jumping up and down and flying and hugging him all at the same time. He can see the excitement on her face, and is a gentleman about it. He grabs her hand and leads her out onto the side of the dance floor, where there's not many people. Her smile starts to falter when she realizes he's leaning heavily on his cane. Of course. She just had to forget that he had a cane.

He turns around so he's standing in front of her and drops her hand. His devilish smile forms when he sees the dismay on her face. "I'm sorry dearie, but it looks like we've both factored out the matter of my cane…"

A thought comes to her mind that might just work. It's risky, she knows, but she has to try.

"Nonsense! Surly you can go a few minutes without your cane." She takes the cane from his hand, leans it up against a nearby wall, and takes his hand in hers, readying herself for the dance. Once the arms are in place she positions her body so his weight on her, acting like a cane, but without having all of his weight bearing down on her.

His mouth hangs open a little, obviously shocked by the forward action. She nods to the DJ, and the music begins.

She's quite proud of herself, really. She's grown quite fond of the music in this world, at least some of it, and is happy in her choice of song. She chose this song specifically because it reminded her of her relationship with Rumpelstiltskin. The song begins to play and she can't help but hum along to the words.

_I want what I can't have, I'm wanna make you mine, I don't care what it takes…_

She's pulled out of her reverie by Gold's voice. "You seemed quite e_ager_ to dance with me. Why?"

She's so caught up in the moment and the warmth of his body that she doesn't realized that she answered him.

"The real question is, why _wouldn't _I want to dance with you? Also, you seemed lonely standing over there; I couldn't help myself."

He's taken by surprise by her first comment. Had she honestly wanted to dance with him? Or was she playing nice so he could lower the rent? Even though he barely knows her, he doubts that she would be _that_ kind of girl.

_If I have to I'm not afraid to save my heart for you…Tell me I'm wrong, turn around and run. Still I'm gonna save my heart for you…_

She notices how his body tenses when she tries to twirl underneath his arm. He lets her, but she can tell that he's in pain. So instead of actually dancing, she settles for just swaying back and forth with his hand on her lower back. She feels high off the warmth from his touch and the smell of him and she _doesn't want it to end._

"Interesting choice of music," he says, almost more to himself than to Belle.

She looks right into his eyes and says, "It's one of my favorite songs. It holds a lot of meaning to me."

He looks at her, and the only thing that he can think of this song is too long. He came here, he drank the punch, talked to Regina, wasn't that enough? Now Isabelle French, of all the blasted people in this town, is dancing with him, and it's killing him. Literally killing him. He's never felt a greater pain in his leg. He can tell that she's trying to take some of the weight off of it, but it barely helps. Honestly, he doesn't know why he even agreed to her trivial request. It was the way she looked at him. Eyes filled with such hope and longing…and something else. The kind of look that his Balavan, his Bae, would give him. He simply couldn't resist it.

_But don't you dare forget that moment that we had, I know we both felt it…_

Feeling like he should speak, Mr. Gold said, " I think it was quite evident that I was perfectly fine standing alone in a corner, Miss French."

Without even looking at him she said, "But I think you're glad that I asked you to dance. After all, if you didn't want to dance then you would've left me by now." Oh, right. He hadn't thought of that…

"Anyways, I think you need to do this more often. Have more contact with people, dance more, be a _part_ of something, or someone…I needed this just as much as you did. Because, when you really look closely, you can see that we're just two lost souls trying to make our way in the world."

And as if on cue, the song ended. She let go of his hand quickly and returned his cane to him. He snatched it from her hands and left, walking to his car and praying that he'll have a good nights' sleep. He doubted that he'd even be able to sleep with her words still echoing in his mind. '_Just two lost souls trying to make our way in the world.'_ Damnit, why does she have to be like that!

* * *

Belle woke up the next day with a pounding in her head. She tore the sheets off of her and sat up in her bed. She was wearing her pajamas; she doesn't even remember coming back to her apartment last night. She shakes her head, trying to clear it, when she notices the two figures near the other side of her bed. It's Ruby and Mary Margaret. Why are they here?

"Rubes, Mary Margaret, what are you doing here?"

The two friends exchange an uncertain look before Mary Margaret says, "Um, yeah about that Belle. We-we think-"

"We thought you were drunk last night, so we brought you home and spent the night," Ruby says without beating around the bush. She wasn't drunk, but she also didn't know why she didn't remember last night. _Last night._ Now she knows why. Mr. Gold had clouded her thoughts, obviously. But how she was going to explain that to her friends sitting on her bed right next to her, she hadn't the faintest clue.

In an attempt at self-defense, Belle blurts out, "I wasn't drunk! I think I might have just feinted or something from all the people in the gym…" She realized how stupid it sounded after she said it.

"Why do you think I was drunk? I did have a few drinks, but only one or two." She said, trying to recover from her previous comment.

"Belle," Ruby said in a stern voice, "After you had your '_one or two' _drinks you were laughing and talking with Mr. Gold." Belle's mouth fell open, and Ruby interpreted that as motioning her to go on.

But Belle interrupted her before she could say anything, saying, "That doesn't mean I was drunk!"

"_Belle,_ after your_ third _drink you asked him to dance. You were _flirting with him."_


End file.
